The Fisherman and the Genie

Once upon a time, there was an old fisherman who was very poor. He could hardly earn enough to support his wife and three children. Every day, he went out early in the morning to fish and decided to cast his nets only four times each day. One morning, he went to the seaside before sunrise, took off his clothes, and cast his nets. When he tried to pull them in, they felt very heavy, and he was happy, thinking he had caught many fish. But when he looked, he found that the net contained only the dead body of a donkey, which made him very sad.

After fixing the nets, which the donkey had torn in many places, he cast them a second time. This time, too, the nets were heavy, and he thought he had caught many fish. But when he pulled them in, he found a basket full of stones and mud. "Oh no!" he cried sadly. "Why is this happening to me? I came here to catch fish for my family, but I keep finding useless things."

He cleaned his nets and cast them a third time, but again he caught only stones, shells, and more mud. The fisherman was very upset. Still, as the sun began to rise, he cast his nets a fourth and final time, hoping for a good catch. This time, he pulled up a heavy, sealed copper jar. It was closed with a lead cover that had a seal on it. Happy with this find, he thought, "I will sell this jar and buy some food for my family."

He examined the jar and opened it with a knife. But when he turned it over, nothing came out. Surprised, he looked closely at the jar. Suddenly, thick smoke came out, filling the air and forming a large mist. The smoke then gathered and turned into a huge genie. The fisherman was very scared.

"Solomon, the great king, forgive me!" cried the genie. "I will obey all your commands."

The fisherman, surprised, said, "You must be mistaken. Solomon has been gone for many, many years. Tell me your story and how you came to be in this jar."

The genie, with a fierce look, said, "Speak to me with respect, or I will kill you."

"Why would you kill me?" asked the fisherman. "I just freed you from the jar."

"Yes, you freed me," replied the genie, "but that will not save you. I have sworn to kill whoever frees me."

"But why?" asked the fisherman. "I helped you."

The genie then told his story: "I was a rebellious spirit and refused to obey King Solomon. To punish me, Solomon trapped me in this jar and sealed it with his magic seal. For the first hundred years, I promised to make anyone who freed me very rich. But no one came. For the next hundred years, I promised to open all the treasures of the earth to my rescuer. But again, no one came. In the third century, I promised to grant three wishes to anyone who freed me. But still, no one came. Finally, I got very angry and swore that if anyone freed me, I would kill them. And now you have freed me, so I must keep my promise."

The fisherman was very sad to hear this. "Please," he begged, "do not kill me. Think of my family. I did a good thing by freeing you."

The genie refused to listen and said, "No, I have to follow my promise. But you can choose how you want to be killed."

The fisherman was very clever. He thought of a plan and said, “I don't believe you were really in that small jar. You are too big!” The genie insisted, “I swear I was in that jar!” The fisherman said, “Prove it. Go back into the jar so I can see.”

The genie, eager to prove himself, turned back into smoke and entered the jar. The fisherman quickly sealed the jar again and said, "Now, genie, you are trapped once more!"

The genie, realizing he had been tricked, begged the fisherman to let him out. "Please," he said, "let me out, and I promise not to harm you. I will even make you rich."

The fisherman was cautious but finally agreed. He made the genie swear to keep his promise, and then he opened the jar. The genie came out and kept his promise. He said, "Follow me, fisherman, and I will show you how to become rich."

The genie led the fisherman to a lake filled with fish of different colors—white, red, blue, and yellow. "Catch these fish and take them to the king," said the genie. "He will give you a lot of money. But remember, only fish in this lake once a day."

The fisherman caught the colorful fish and took them to the king, who was amazed and gave the fisherman a lot of gold. The fisherman was very happy. Thanks to his cleverness and bravery, the fisherman could finally take care of his family.